Chapter 7 – The Girl with Silent Eyes

The next morning hit harder than expected. My body still ached from the energy I had used. Not physically—no, vampires don't bruise like humans—but the lack of negativity around me was draining. Every move felt heavier, like I was walking through thick fog.

At school, everything seemed the same on the surface. Students talking. Laughing. Pretending they had control over their simple, fragile lives.

But I wasn't here to fit in.

I was here because I had no choice.

I took my usual seat at the back corner of the classroom. Headphones in. Hood up. Just another quiet kid trying not to be noticed.

But even in this fake world… some people stand out.

Her.

The girl who sat two rows in front of me. Always alone. Always quiet. Never speaking unless forced to. Her presence was like a shadow—soft, cold, yet… oddly comforting.

She didn't laugh.

She didn't gossip.

She didn't fake smiles like the rest.

And most important—

She carried something heavy in her eyes.

Something dark.

Something broken.

It wasn't just sadness.

It was deeper.

More… haunting.

Negative energy.

She had it.

I watched her for a moment longer, her hand scribbling slowly in her notebook. She didn't notice me. Or if she did, she didn't care.

I wasn't interested in humans. Not really.

But she wasn't normal.

At least, not emotionally.

And that made her... valuable.

But that wasn't all.

Something inside me stirred as I looked at her—

Not just hunger…

Something quieter.

Something unfamiliar.

Curiosity.

Later that day, during lunch, I found myself wandering the rooftop again.

It had become my habit.

High above the world. Alone. Peaceful.

But not today.

She was there.

The quiet girl.

Sitting by the fence, legs drawn up, face tilted toward the sky. Eyes closed.

I didn't expect her to be here.

And I sure didn't expect her to speak first.

"You're not like them," she said without opening her eyes.

My eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

She opened her eyes slowly, and for the first time—I met them up close.

Dark. Deep.

A little… hollow.

"You don't talk. You watch," she continued. "Like something's always bothering you. Like… you're not really part of this world."

I stiffened.

She didn't know what I was. Couldn't.

But her words?

They were too close.

Too accurate.

"…You say that like you're any different," I replied.

She gave a small smile. "I'm not. That's why I noticed."

She stood up, brushing off her skirt.

And as she walked past me, she paused.

"…I'm Aika," she said.

Then left.

Just like that.

No explanation.

No reason.

Just a name.

And the strange feeling that followed.

And I stood there… wondering why her voice echoed in my chest long after she left.